LAHORE: Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Lahore on Wednesday has opened tender for civil works of water supply and sewerage system in NA 120 constituency. The move has come after the directions of Maryam Nawaz Sharif, daughter of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif.
WASA has now opened tenders inviting bidders to submit their offers by November 25. According to sources, WASA will invite offers for two tenders worth Rs320 million and Rs14 million respectively. Sources reveal that since the election campaign for the by-elections of NA120 kicked off, WASA had started carried out sanitation works in the constituency and it has spent more than Rs250 million in the constituency.
Water scarcity and poor sanitation system are one of the most pressing issues of the constituency. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been criticized by its opponents due to water scarcity and poor sewerage system in NA 120 which has long been considered as the home constituency for Sharif family.
Maryam Nawaz, who was the head of the campaign for her mother Kalsoom Nawaz’s candidacy in NA120 by-polls, received a score of complaints from supporters which were mostly regarding water issues during door to door activities. Where other promises were made to supporters, Maryam Nawaz also promised to resolve the water issue.
After her mother’s victory in the by-election, Maryam has visited the constituency and conducted different meetings where she again faced complaints of supporters for not fulfilling their demands.
WASA sources informed that the reason of poor sanitation and sewerage conditions in the constituency was due to outdated pipelines while the development projects like Metro Bus and Orange Line Metro Train project also affected the sewerage system in the constituency.
They further stated that these tenders have been floated to resolve the water and sanitation issues of Mozang Road, Islampura, Band Road, Ravi Road and adjacent areas.
It has also been revealed that WASA was under severe pressure from the government to start the sanitation work in the constituency.
WASA’s spokesperson stated that at least four development projects regarding water and sanitation will be kicked off in NA120 and that WASA did not have any dispute with Auqaf Department regarding the installation of tube-wells, for which a No Objection Certificate (NOC) will soon be released.
